


What's New in Newberry Hills?

by hebitsukai_mega



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: 90s AU, Aliens, M/M, Science Fiction, eventual smut probably, if that's even a thing, spooky slimy aliens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-02-13 16:34:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12988044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hebitsukai_mega/pseuds/hebitsukai_mega
Summary: The town of Newberry Hills is changing...When a meteorite crashes in the forest near the small mountain town of Newberry Hills, three young friends unwittingly get wrapped up in something way over their heads





	1. Meteor Shower

DECEMBER 6TH, 1993

 

“Only ten minutes,” Kevin anxiously tapped his fingers on the surface of the counter, staring at the clock on the far wall as the seconds slowly ticked by.  The sound of Christmas music on the store radio had been driving him crazy all evening, and all he wanted to do was get the hell out of the store and meet his friends for the biggest event of their young lives.

 

“Almost quitting time Kev,” Kevin’s manager, Juyeon said as he locked the door to the office, returning the drawer to Kevin’s cash register, “Got any plans tonight?”

 

“Oh hell yeah!” Kevin beamed with excitement, “I’m going up to Berry Mountain with Eric and Jacob to watch the meteor shower!”

 

“Really? That sounds like something boyfriends do,” Juyeon chuckled a bit, “I knew you had a thing for Jacob,”

 

“Oh whatever! This is purely for scientific purposes!  The last time a meteor shower was visible in Newberry Hills was almost a hundred years ago! We might never get this chance again!”

 

“Chill out man, I’m just kidding.  Look, the store’s dead and we close in like eight minutes anyway, why don’t you go ahead and get outta here?” Juyeon suggested, clearly fighting off a yawn.  Kevin’s eyes widened.

 

“Really?!”

 

“Yeah dude, go have fun,”

 

“Thank you so much Juyeon!” Kevin pulled his manager into a (probably unwanted) hug and rushed out the door, grabbing his jacket as he went.

 

“Dude you didn’t punch your time card!” Juyeon called after him, but Kevin was already long gone, having already reached the street corner.  He fished around in his coat pocket for a second until he finally located the elusive quarter his was after.  He popped it into the payphone and waited impatiently as it rang.

 

_“Moon residence, Marla speaking,”_

 

“Hey mom it’s Kevin,”

 

_“Oh hi Kev! If you’re off from work I can swing by and pick you up.  It’s really cold out tonight and you know I don’t like you walking home after dark all by yourself,”_

“Actually mom I’m spending the night at Jacob’s house, I just wanted to give you a head’s up,”

_“Alright but it’s a school night.  You boys don’t be up too late,”_

 

“We won’t mom, I’ll see you tomorrow after school okay?”

_“Okay sweetie.  Get over there fast, there’s supposed to be a snowstorm rolling in tonight.  I love you Kev,”_

“I love you too mom,”

 

Kevin quickly hung up the payphone and whistled for a taxi passing him on the street.  His best friend Jacob lived pretty far from the center of town, so Kevin knew this ride would be ridiculously expensive, but he had no time to waste; the meteor shower was set to start in less than an hour!

 

Thankfully it didn’t take long to arrive at Jacob’s ridiculously luxurious house.  Despite his own family being pretty well off, Kevin had always been the slightest bit jealous of Jacob’s unrealistically deep pockets.  He quickly paid the cab driver before making his way up the winding stone pathway to the front door.  Everything had been decorated (professionally, Kevin was sure) by white Christmas lights that made the already impressive house, styled mostly out of glass and metal, resemble a fantastical winter castle of some kind.

 

He was about to knock, but the front door flew open before he could, revealing a slightly shorter boy that certainly wasn’t Jacob.  The boy wasn’t really paying attention to Kevin, he was way more distracted by the crappy old camcorder he always carried around.

 

“Eric? I didn’t expect you to be here yet, you’re usually late whenever we plan something,” Kevin teased, moving past Eric into the spacious foyer.

 

“Yeah, yeah I know.  But I had to catch the last bus so I’ve been here for like an hour.  Jacob told me to look out for you,”

 

“Can’t even greet me himself these days huh?” Kevin scoffed, “Whatever,”

 

“Come on Kev it’s not like that.  He’s just up in his room wrapping Christmas gifts.  Can you guys please not fight tonight? This is supposed to be awesome,” Eric pleaded, following closely behind Kevin as he ascended the staircase.

 

“No one’s gonna fight Eric,” Kevin assured him, “I’ll be way too distracted by the awesomeness of the meteor shower,”

 

The two boys entered Jacob’s room and Kevin was immediately shocked at the state of the place.  Jacob was usually extremely tidy to the point of obsessiveness, but currently there were gift bags and wrapping paper strewn all over the room.

 

“Hi Kevin, it’s good to see you.  Been a few weeks,” Jacob said softly, never looking up for the gift he was currently wrapping.  It was true; they’d been in a particularly bad argument about a month previously and since then they’d been ignoring and avoiding each other.  Still, they’d promised to watch the shower together months ago, and within the group, promises could never be broken.

 

“It’s… good to see you too Jacob, really,” Kevin admitted.  He and Jacob had been best friends since they were in diapers, and he truly did miss talking with him.

 

Jacob smiled a little, and tossed Kevin the fully wrapped gift.  Kevin gasped at the Super Mario Bros. wrapping paper.

 

“Dude, where did you find this gift wrap? It’s amazing!”

 

“We had it shipped in from an out-of-state novelty shop, it’s no big deal.  Just promise you won’t open it until Christmas morning okay?”

 

“Promise! Thank you Jacob,” Kevin smiled from ear to ear as he tucked the gift into his jacket, “Now, we should probably get going if we wanna get up the mountain in time,”

 

“Sure thing,” Jacob rose to his feet and brushed off his pants.  He grabbed one of his many designer jackets and the three boys headed out.  Kevin’s eyes widened when Jacob fished a set of keys from his jacket pocket and unlocked the door of the beautiful white sportscar in the driveway.

 

“Dude! You got a car?!”

 

“Oh yeah, early Christmas present.  Hop in you guys,” Jacob replied; nonchalant as ever.

 

“You’re not gonna drive us off the mountain are you?” Eric giggled, “Just kidding, I trust you buddy,”

 

The three boys climbed in Jacob’s car, and Kevin couldn’t help but sink into the extremely comfortable leather seats.  Soon they were making their way up the mountain, all jittering with excitement.  Jacob was a surprisingly good driver, unlike Kevin who had failed his driver’s test a whopping eight times to date.  The farther they went, the more snow started to fall around them, until it became a bit difficult to see.

 

“Uh oh, are we gonna be able to see the meteor shower with all these clouds?” Eric wondered aloud, leaning forward in the backseat to get a better view.

 

“I think Eric has a point.  Maybe we should turn back,” Jacob said, slowing the car to a stop.

 

“No! We can’t go back! We’ve been talking about this for months!” Kevin vehemently protested.

 

“Yeah but Kev,”

 

“We’re going,” Kevin folded his arms, “I’ll walk up there by myself if I have to,”

 

Jacob sighed in resignation before putting his foot on the gas again.  Their designated vantage point had been completely covered in snow, and just as Eric feared, it was impossible to see the sky through the clouds.  Still Kevin hopped out of the car and stared fruitlessly at the storm clouds.

 

“Kevin please, lets just head back to my place before the storm gets too bad,” Jacob pleaded, “This is obviously a bust,”

 

“Just wait alright! Hey… what’s that?” Kevin pointed up at the clouds where a faint light could be seen, “It must be the shower! Eric, you recording this?”

 

“I’m trying, but I got shitty visibility!” Eric replied, trying his hardest to see through the flurries of snow.

 

With that, the light burst through the clouds in what appeared to be a fireball, coming right at the ledge on which the boys were standing.  Kevin stared in complete awe as the meteorite passed overhead and crashed with a thunderous boom in the nearby forest.  The ground quaked a bit from the impact; this was bigger than Kevin could’ve expected!

 

“Holy shit! That was insane! Come on, we’ve gotta find that crash site!” Kevin started to run off across the street into the forest, but Jacob grabbed him by the arm.

 

“Are you insane?! That’s a meteorite we’re talking about! It could have some kind of space radiation that’ll give us all cancer!”

 

“Hey, you’re into comics and shit, shouldn’t you be excited? Maybe the radiation will turn us into Spider-Man or something,”

 

“You’re kidding right?”

 

“Stop being so afraid all your life Jacob,” Kevin broke free of Jacob’s grip, “Eric, you’re coming right? We’re gonna want this on film,”

 

“Uh… yeah, I guess so,” Eric stepped forward as Jacob shook his head in disappointment.

 

“Fine, let’s just do this,” Jacob finally conceded.  Kevin smirked as they made their way into the forest.  The densely packed pine trees were covered in snow and it was almost too dark to see.  Thankfully Eric turned on his camcorder’s flashlight which helped a bit.

 

“There’s smoke coming from that way!” Kevin ran off ahead, turning the corner to see a massive crater in the ground.  Patches of flames littered the ground around the crater, and the light was clearly reflecting off something metallic in the center, “What the hell is that?”

 

“Kevin, please be careful!” Jacob called out, keeping his distance from the crater while Kevin stepped closer to it.  Kevin’s eyes were completely transfixed on the metallic object in the crater; it resembled a small orb of some kind, shaped a lot like a soccer ball.  There were holes on either side of it as well; it certainly didn’t look like any meteorite Kevin had ever seen pictures of before.

 

“What is that thing?” Kevin reached out to touch the object, probably against his better judgement, but the sudden sound of helicopter blades in the air distracted him, “Oh shit, what’s that?”

 

“Looks like military helicopters,” Eric was looking through his camcorder into the sky, no doubt using its zoom function for a better view, “They’re probably coming to investigate the crash site,”

 

“We need to go, now! If they find us here, there’s no telling what kind of trouble we’ll be in!” Jacob urged them, moving towards the crater to grab Kevin’s arm once more.

 

“But isn’t your dad a military official? If we just drop his name…”

 

“Trust me, that’ll only make things worse,” Jacob insisted, “Please Kev, don’t fight me on this,”

 

“Fine, let’s go back to your place,” Kevin finally agreed.  As the three of them turned to head back to the main road, the heard the sound of trucks and jeeps speeding down the forest path, “Oh shit, hide!”

 

Eric scrambled up the nearest tree with Kevin following swiftly behind.  They both helped pull Jacob up into the branches just as the military vehicles passed through.

 

“That was way too close.  What do we do?” Eric wondered, looking through his camcorder at the crater as the vehicles started to circle it.

 

“We should just wait this out,” Jacob said, “They’re probably just here to retrieve whatever fell from the sky,”

 

“See anything interesting?” Kevin asked, peering over Eric’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah! That guy down there, that’s Sangyeon!”

 

“Wait what?” Kevin was shocked; last he’d heard, Sangyeon was stationed overseas.  Working at the Blockbuster hadn’t been the same since he enlisted, leaving his little brother Juyeon in charge of the place, “I wonder what he’s doing back here?”

 

“Sssh, I’m picking up audio,” Eric whispered, “Wait, that other soldier is Hyunjae?”

 

“So that means the only Lee brother to avoid military service is Juyeon,” Kevin replied, “Is there any way I can hear the audio?”

 

“Put these on,” Eric detached the headphones from his camcorder and gave them to Kevin.  Kevin did as he was told and sure enough, he could faintly hear what Sangyeon and Hyunjae were saying.

 

 _“So what do you think it is?”_ Hyunjae asked as people covered head to toe in white hazmat suits removed the orb from the crater.

 

_“No idea.  Besides it’s not like we’re paid to figure this shit out,”_

_“That would be our job,”_

Kevin jumped at the sudden new voice.

 

“Who is that?”

 

“Some old dude in a fancy suit.  Looks like a CEO or something,” Eric replied, his eye still practically glued to the camcorder.

 

“Probably a Branch Chief,” Jacob elaborated, “Probably here to supervise the extraction,”

 

Kevin nodded and continued listening.

 

_“Thank you gentlemen for keeping the area secure for us.  The last thing we need is prying eyes… like those,”_

 

“Oh shit… I think he knows we’re here,” Kevin quickly took off the headphones, as if it would somehow disguise his presence.

 

“He’s pointing right at us! We’ve gotta get out of here!” Eric jumped down from the tree, with Kevin and Jacob dropping down after him.  They took off running as fast as they could, but they could hear the sound of combat boots trampling the ground right on their heels.

 

“Freeze! Stop or we’ll be forced to shoot!” Sangyeon’s voice echoed through the area, bringing the boys to a stop.  They slowly turned around, causing Sangyeon’s eyes to widen, “Wait… Kevin, Eric, Jacob? What the hell are you boys doing out here?”

 

“We just came to see the meteor shower! When the meteorite crashed we just wanted to get a closer look, that’s all I swear!” Kevin shouted.

 

“ _You_ wanted a closer look,” Jacob interjected, rolling his eyes.

 

“Do you guys have any idea what you’re dealing with here? Damn it… listen to me, just… cover your ears,”

 

“Our ears? But why?”

 

“Just do it!”

 

The boys complied as Sangyeon fired a few rounds from his gun into the sky.

 

“Now run.  Go home and don’t tell anyone you were up here on the mountain tonight, understood?”

 

“Yeah. Thank you Sangyeon,” Eric said.  Kevin and Jacob nodded their thanks as they ran for Jacob’s car.  As they were driving down the mountain, Kevin couldn’t fight the shaking in his hands.  He’d never been so scared in his life.  Despite all the fear, he couldn’t help but wonder what the hell crashed to Earth and what the government wanted with it.

 

One thing was abundantly clear though…

 

The town of Newberry Hills was about to change.


	2. The Newberry Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob tries to move on after the meteorite crash, but Kevin won't drop it

Jacob shuffled into school, yawning as he headed for his locker.  He’d already missed the Student Council meeting he was supposed to attend since he woke up an hour late and still had to wait for Kevin and Eric to get ready so he could drive them to school.  He couldn’t believe what they’d seen on the mountain the night before, but he couldn’t shake the feeling in his stomach that Sangyeon trying to protect them wouldn’t be enough.

 

“So I see you finally made it in,”

 

Jacob sighed at the sudden voice behind him as he opened his locker.  It was time for him to be “Vice President Jacob”; one of his many masks.

 

“Yes Younghoon, I’m here. Listen, I’m sorry I missed the meeting this morning, I overslept and…”

 

“It doesn’t look good when the Student Council Vice President misses a meeting about the winter dance,” Younghoon shook his head as he spoke; condescending as ever.

 

“Younghoon it’s not like that, I just…”

 

“Whatever Jacob,” Younghoon dismissively waved his hand, “Just know that if it happens again, your title is going to someone more deserving,”

 

With that Younghoon walked off, leaving Jacob alone by his locker.  Once the hallway was deserted, Jacob kicked the empty locker, hurting his foot a bit.  He was so damn sick and tired of having to be perfect at all times, whether it was at home, school, or during his extra-curriculars, he could never just make a fucking mistake or just slack off a bit.

 

As he made his way to his first class of the day, he was stopped by Mrs. Kim, the school’s choir director.  Jacob had been in her class for his first three years of high school, but he had so much on his plate this year that he couldn’t sign up.

 

“Oh Jacob! There you are! I stopped by the Student Council meeting room earlier looking for you!”

 

“Sorry, I was a bit late this morning,”

 

“Really? That doesn’t sound like you.  Well, in any case, I was just wondering if you were still planning to come by the choir rehearsal this afternoon and give my current students a few pointers?” she asked, batting her false eyelashes for added effect.  Jacob wanted to sigh out loud and tell her to buzz off, but clearly that wasn’t an option for him.

 

“Oh, of course!”

 

“Thank you so much! The new students could really use all the help they can get.  I know I’ve said this before, but Berry Mountain High will definitely suffer in the regional vocal assessment without a voice like yours,”

 

“I’m sorry Mrs. Kim.  I tried to convince my friend Kevin to join in my place, he has a great voice, but choral singing isn’t for everyone,”

 

“It’s certainly not,” Mrs. Kim shook her head, “Well, I should probably let you get going, I wouldn’t want to make you late for class,”

 

Jacob awkwardly nodded, taking that as the perfect excuse to get the hell out of there.  He hastily walked into his first period chemistry class, preparing to take his usual seat at the front of the room.  Before he sat down, someone waving to him from the lab table in the back corner caught his attention.  He quickly noticed that it was Kevin, motioning for him to join him at the table.  Jacob shook his head, lifting his notebook to emphasize his need to take notes, but Kevin persisted as usual until Jacob gave in, moving his stuff to the back table.

 

“What is it Kev?” he wondered, shifting to get comfortable in the seat by the window, right next to Kevin’s.

 

“We really should talk about last night,” Kevin whispered.  Jacob felt his face flush red; he really wasn’t in the mood to discuss it.

 

“Now’s not the place or the time,”

 

“You said the same thing this morning! We can’t just forget it,”

 

“And why not? We shouldn’t have been up there and we saw something that doesn’t concern us.  It would be in our best interest to just move on!”

 

“Seriously dude? There was some reason they didn’t want us to see exactly what was in that crater, but it looked like a weird metal ball or something.  Don’t you wanna find out more?”

 

“Not really, no.  Trust me Kev, if I’ve learned anything from my dad it’s that you shouldn’t question the government about their secrets.  It doesn’t end well for anyone,” Jacob was stoic now, looking straight ahead as their teacher entered the room.

 

“We’ll talk about this more later,” Kevin folded his arms in temporary defeat.  He didn’t have to tell Jacob; it was never over until Kevin said so.

 

…

 

Jacob was dead tired by the time lunch rolled around.  He couldn’t even get excited about the fact that it was Taco Tuesday.  He found a quiet spot at a secluded table and put his head down next to his lunch tray, hoping to at least get thirty minutes of sleep before it was time for his next class.  Of course, that hope was crushed when he heard someone else put their stuff down across from him.

 

“Hi Jacob!” Eric cheerfully said, stuffing his mouth with french fries.  Jacob mumbled a response, only to again be disturbed by Kevin’s arrival.

 

“Alright, now is the perfect time to finish our discussion,” Kevin said, annoyingly poking Jacob’s head with a breadstick.

 

“What more is there to discuss?” Jacob wondered, “I said all I needed to,”

 

“Come on man! This could be something huge! An all new Roswell! Wait, speaking of Roswell, wasn’t your dad stationed at…”

 

“Kevin be quiet!” Jacob instantly sat up straight, putting a finger to Kevin’s (distractingly soft) lips to silence him, “I should’ve never told you about that! Jesus, you can’t keep a secret to save your life,”

 

“Oh yeah?” Kevin cocked an eyebrow, clearly annoyed, “Because there’s a _certain_ secret of yours I never told anyone,”

 

“That’s true,” Jacob stared daggers at Kevin, channeling all of the anger he’d built up throughout the day, “But as I recall, we _both_ shared a secret that night,”

 

“You guys, please relax,” Eric interjected, trying his best to ease the tension, “I don’t know what the hell you guys are talking about, but personal secrets are just that, personal,”

 

Kevin and Jacob both sighed.

 

“He’s right.  I’m sorry Jacob, I went too far,”

 

“Yeah, I probably did too.  Listen I didn’t mean to snap at you, I just really want you to drop this fascination with whatever it was we saw.  I’m telling you, it probably isn’t something we wanna get wrapped up in,” Jacob explained.

 

“I can’t just let it go Jacob, this is the stuff dreams are made of! We’re nerds, we love this shit! You love comics, I love video games, Eric loves movies, right? This encompasses all of that, but in real life!  All I’m saying is this, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get an up close and personal look at something that fell from space.  As the son of an official, stationed where your dad was stationed, well… you could easily get your foot in the door,” Kevin said.  Jacob took a deep breath, carefully considering his response.

 

“Kevin, I know you mean well, and to a point, I understand your enthusiasm, but my dad’s position isn’t a key to get us into secure government facilities.  Like I said, going down this road is dangerous,”

 

For once, it actually seemed like Kevin was listening to Jacob.  He took a long look at his spaghetti bowl before responding.

 

“Alright Jacob, I’ll drop it.  Last night _was_ a bit more intense than I’d like, and I’m not willing to die just yet,”

 

“Wait a sec,” Eric was still heavily munching on his fries as he tried to speak, “Did you guys just come to an understanding without fighting? Wow, progress,”

 

Jacob and Kevin just smiled at each other from across the table.  For the first time all day, Jacob was actually feeling pretty good.

 

…

 

“Mom. I’m finally home!” Jacob called as he stepped into the door, shrugging off his coat and holding in a yawn.  That choir rehearsal took a lot out of him; Mrs. Kim was entirely right when she said her new students needed some serious help.  He’d spent the last two hours going over the basics of vocal blending and intonation with a room full of slightly younger students, and now he just wanted nothing more than some sleep.

 

He slipped off his boots and made his way into the kitchen, where he expected his mother to be waiting for him like usual… but instead he came face to face with a tall, suited man with expertly styled hair.  He was so shocked that he nearly choked on his own breath.

 

“D-Dad…”

 

“Hello Jacob, it’s good to see you,” he spoke slowly and deliberately, his deep voice resonating through the kitchen.

 

“What are you doing here? I thought you were gonna be working in Nevada until the spring,”

 

“That was the original plan, but apparently there was something of an incident here in Newberry Hills, something that required my attention.  I’ve been appointed the acting Branch Chief for the Newberry Observatory,”

 

“B-branch chief?” Jacob’s heart nearly stopped.  According to Eric’s description, it was a branch chief that spotted them at the crash site…

 

“That’s right. I actually got in yesterday evening, but work kept me from coming home until this afternoon,”

 

“Well,” Jacob tried desperately to regain his composure before continuing his sentence, “It’s good to have you home for a while dad,”

 

“It’s good to be home son,” his father turned around, retrieving the freshly made coffee from the pot, “Oh, I meant to ask, how are those friends of yours? Eric and Kevin, right?”

 

That was it.  Jacob’s father had never given a shit about his friends.  He absolutely had to be the one at the crash site.  It was clear he was playing some sort of game, but Jacob wasn’t savvy enough to join in… perhaps getting Kevin in on this ordeal wasn’t the worst idea in the world…

 

“Oh, they’re fine! They actually slept over last night, and we’re planning on going to the premiere of the animated Batman film as a group for Christmas,”

 

“Very good, I’m glad to hear they’re well.  Be sure they stay well, okay?” his tone wasn’t nearly as threatening as his words, but they still stabbed Jacob like a knife anyway.

 

“Okay…” Jacob mumbled, quickly making his way out of the kitchen and upstairs to his bedroom.

 

His father knew everything.  He knew they’d gone to the crash site, which meant he knew that they’d probably seen whatever was in the crater, and if it was important enough to transfer him from his top-secret research at Area 51, it had to be something they’d never want anyone to see.  He was dumbfounded, absolutely clueless as to how to proceed.  His father knowing the truth was a major problem that put his friends in immediate danger.  He needed to call Kevin.

 

He moved over to his cordless phone (he remembered when they’d first come out; his mom couldn’t believe it… a phone without a cord?) and dialed Kevin’s number.

 

“ _Moon Residence, Marla speaking,”_

 

“Hi Mrs. Moon, it’s Jacob,”

 

 _“Oh hi Jacob! Kevin’s just in the other room, I’ll fetch him for you,”_ Jacob patiently waited for a few moments before Kevin came to the phone, _“Hello?”_

“Kev listen to me.  My dad was the Branch Chief that saw us at the crash site! We need to keep a low profile if…”

 

_“Jacob be quiet! Haven’t you ever heard of a wire tap? I’m coming over,”_

“Coming over? Why would you… hello? Kevin?” Jacob shook his head when he realized Kevin had already hung up the phone.  He put the phone back on its base and sat down on his bed, sighing heavily.  This was like something out of a bad dream.  He was just getting lost in his thoughts (more like drowning in them) when he was startled by the sound of someone knocking on his window, “Wait… Kev?”

 

Jacob rushed over to the window, pushing it open and allowing Kevin to practically fall inside.

 

“Okay, now we can talk,” Kevin said, lying on the floor and looking up at Jacob.

 

“Did you just climb up the side of my house?!”

 

“I had no choice! Your dad would be even more suspicious if I came in through the front door!”

 

Jacob groaned and helped Kevin stand, closing the window as Kevin took a seat on the bed.

 

“This is so bad,” Jacob was pacing the floor, “He knows we were there, which means he know that we know something! This is really, really, really bad! They transferred him from Area 51 and everything!”

 

“Hey, calm down,” Kevin spoke softly, taking Jacob’s hand in his own once he got close enough, “We don’t know exactly what he knows.  Maybe he didn’t see us.  Maybe he saw three kids in a tree and he _suspects_ us.  Besides, we don’t actually know anything anyway.  We saw something weird, but its not like we really know what it was or what the government wanted with it,”

 

Jacob took a deep breath, considering Kevin’s words.

 

“You’re right, it’s not a big deal,” Jacob sat next to Kevin on the bed, still holding his hand, “Thank you Kev,”

 

“You’re welcome… you know, your hands are really soft,”

 

Jacob blushed at that, his mind traveling back to the night three months ago when he came out with the biggest secret of his life.  The night Kevin didn’t make fun of him, he didn’t alienate him… he comforted him.  Told him that he understood Jacob’s pain more personally than the latter could’ve ever imagined.  They’d never felt closer to each other than they did that night… except for maybe right now, when their faces had somehow become only a few inches apart.

 

Without much thought from either of them, they kissed; Jacob’s warm soft lips softly gracing Kevin’s cold ones.  It definitely wasn’t planned, but neither boy pulled away, Jacob even held Kevin’s hand tighter, silently asking him not to move… until Jacob’s bedroom door opened.

 

“What the hell…”

 

Jacob and Kevin quickly separated, scrambling to opposite ends of the bed as his father stood in the door, a look of disgust etched across his face.

 

“Dad… I… we can… it wasn’t…”

 

“Save it.  Your mother wants you dressed and ready.  We’re going out for dinner.  He needs to leave,” venom dripped from every word out of his father’s mouth.  Jacob looked at Kevin, his eyes beginning to well up with tears.  Kevin cleared his throat and stood up, patting Jacob’s shoulder.

 

“It’s okay Jacob.  I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kevin made his way out of the room as quickly as he could, leaving Jacob alone with his father.

 

“So that’s the kind of company you keep? That’s why you’ve been spending so much time with him?  Is that why your car was parked on Berry Mountain last night? God only knows what you were doing…”

 

Jacob wanted to protest his father’s statements, but then something clicked; if his dad had only seen his car on the mountain, that means he didn’t actually see him and his friends in the tree! He knew his father despised homosexuality, but him thinking that he was having sex (or… whatever he thought they were doing) with Kevin was better than him realizing the truth.

 

“I’m sorry dad… I…”

 

“I don’t want him in this house again.  Not while I’m here.  Understood?”

 

“Yes sir…”

 

With that, Jacob’s father stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.  Jacob wanted to break down right then and there.  Being gay was hard enough on its own without his father’s bigoted words and beliefs further complicating things.  But it didn’t matter, he didn’t have time to cry.  It was time to put on yet another mask.

 

This time, Jacob: the perfect son.


	3. The Goop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric desperately needs money for a new pair of shoes...

December 10TH 1993

 

“Oh man, I’m fucked,” Eric buried his face in his hands, “There’s no way I’m gonna be able to replace these!”

 

He’d realized shortly after leaving the crash site that he’d stepped in some weird black goop, but it didn’t seem like an issue… until it randomly started to spread.  Now it was covering almost all of his left shoe, making it oddly hot to the touch.  His mom was already struggling with the bills (their electricity had already been shut off twice in the past few months) and there wasn’t even a hope that she’d be able to buy him a new pair of shoes at the moment… he was gonna have to go out on a limb.

 

As quietly as he could, Eric snuck into the living room, past his mother’s bedroom; he knew she was trying to get as much rest as she could before she had to be at her second job, and he wasn’t willing to wake her up.  He made his way to the phone and dialed Juyeon’s number.

 

_“Hello?”_

“Uh hi, is this Juyeon?”

 

_“Yeah?”_

“Hi Juyeon! It’s Eric, remember me, from Film Club?”

 

_“Oh yeah, of course I remember you.  What’s up?”_

“I was just wondering… well see, I know the Blockbuster’s a little short staffed since the new guy quit and uh… I was thinking, do you think you could give me a job?”

 

_“You wanna work at the store? I mean I don’t see why not… it’ll be nice working with someone who actually appreciates classic films.  You’ll have to go through the official application process, but consider yourself hired,”_

“Oh man, thank you so much Juyeon! I can’t tell you how much this means to me!”

 

_“Don’t mention it.  Come on down to the store tonight around six and we’ll get your interview out of the way,”_

“Perfect! Thanks again man,” with that, Eric hung up the phone just as his mother’s bedroom door was creaking open.

 

“Eric? Who were you talking to?” she asked, stretching her arms over her head.

 

“Oh, uh I have some good news for you! I got a job at the Blockbuster!”

 

“You did? Eric I… I told you I didn’t want you working.  I can support us on my own,”

 

“No mom I know,” Eric patted his mother on the shoulder, “I know you’re perfectly capable of taking care of us, but I’m 17 now, I should probably start making my own money right? I mean, there are tons of movies coming out that I really wanna see, and I can’t ask you for cash forever,”

 

His mother sighed, nodding in understanding.

 

“You’re right, it’s just that, well… since your father left,”

 

“You don’t need to say it mom,” he assured her, “You’re an excellent provider all on your own, okay?”

 

“Okay,” she finally smiled, “Well, I’m really proud of you sweetheart,”

 

“Thanks mom.  You get some more rest okay? I’m gonna head over to Kevin’s house for a little while,”

 

“Listen to you, I would think you were the parent if I didn’t know any better,” his mom chuckled before kissing his forehead, “There should be enough change for bus fare on the counter in the kitchen, next to my keys.  Be safe and stay away from those kids that hang around the bus stop.  If they’re out there I wanted you to walk over to 22nd and catch bus 72 instead, okay?”

 

“Okay mom,”

 

Eric quickly returned to his room and changed into his Jurassic Park t-shirt and his favorite faded blue jeans (the ones with the hole over the right knee from when he fell down the stairs rushing to the lunchroom).  He obviously couldn’t wear his usual shoes… so it looked like he was gonna have to settle for the beat up old pair with the holes in the bottoms.  And of course it just _had_ to be raining outside.

 

After ten minutes of taping cardboard inside his shoes to keep the water out, Eric threw on a hoodie, grabbed the change off the kitchen counter and headed out to the bus stop.  The rain was absolutely frigid; hopefully the bus would come soon.

 

As Eric made his way to the stop, he gasped when he noticed a group of other boys standing there.  They called themselves the Arrowheads; the very group Eric’s mom didn’t want him to get anywhere near.  But… it was really, really cold and he didn’t think he had it in him to make it all the way over to 22nd… so he headed for the stop anyway, practically scurrying to get beneath the small shelter shielding the bus stop from the downpour.  He did his best to hide his face from the other guys, but sure enough, one of them recognized him anyway.

 

“Sup Eric,” the taller boy said, nudging Eric’s shoulder to get his attention (as if the smoke from his cigarette hadn’t done that already).  Eric looked up to see the face of Hyunjoon; his estranged cousin that he hadn’t really had much contact with in the past few years.  Once his dad left, Eric pretty much ceased interactions with that entire side of his family.  Hyunjoon was the exception for a while, until he started hanging out with the Arrowheads.

 

“Oh, h-hey Hyunjoon,” Eric sheepishly replied, trying to avoid eye contact.  Hyunjoon’s eyes were different than they used to be… darker almost.

 

“Hwall,”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s Hwall now, not Hyunjoon,” he sounded almost disgusted by his own name, “Where you headed?”

 

“Just going to my friend Kevin’s house,”

 

“So you still hang out with the nerd squad I see,” Hwall rolled his eyes as the other Arrowheads burst into laughter (seriously, was “nerd squad” the best insult they’d ever heard?) “You should ditch the bitch boys and hang with a real clique,”

 

“You mean… join the Arrowheads?”

 

“What the fuck else would I mean?” Hwall shook his head, “Damn you’re dense.  Just… think about it.  Newberry ain’t the peaceful small town it used to be no more, and family’s gotta stick together,”

 

“What do you mean?” Eric was legitimately confused; as far as he knew, everything was normal.  Hwall snapped his fingers and one of the other boys handed him a newspaper he’d been reading.  Hwall turned it back to the front page and pointed at the main headline.

 

_FIVE WORKERS BRUTALLY MUTILATED IN LOCAL MILLHOUSE MASSACRE_

“Holy shit, when did this happen!?”

 

“Just last night.  Some serious shit is going down, and rollin’ with us is your best chance for survival when it gets real bad,” Hwall flicked his cigarette onto the cold ground, letting it extinguish itself, “Like I said, you may wanna think about it,”

 

Before Eric could respond, the bus pulled up.  He quickly boarded, paid the fare and took a seat, watching as the Arrowhead boys filed past him and congregated at the back of the bus.  As the bus pulled off, Eric couldn’t help but think about what Hwall had said.  Of course he wasn’t _actually_ considering joining the Arrowheads, but he couldn’t lie; he was a bit worried about the idea of a killer on the loose in Newberry Hills…

 

It didn’t take long for the bus to reach Kevin’s part of town, and Eric got off a few streets over from where he lived, opting to rush over to Artisan Drive as quickly as he could to avoid another potential awkward conversation with Hwall.  Before long he was knocking at Kevin’s door.  The door slowly opened, revealing an approximately three foot tall little girl sipping on a juice box.

 

“Eric!” she excitedly cried, stretching out her arms widely.  Eric giggled and crouched down, giving her a hug.

 

“Hey Kendall! It’s so good to see you! Although, you probably shouldn’t be answering the door without asking Mrs. Moon first,” Eric said, playfully ruffling her ponytailed hair.  Kendall only chuckled in response before running off into another room, leaving Eric to head on up to Kevin’s bedroom.  He gently knocked on the door before pushing it open, stepping inside over an empty pizza box.

 

“Oh, what’s up Eric? I wasn’t expecting you today,” Kevin said, his eyes never leaving the TV screen where he was currently playing through Super Mario Bros. 3 for the millionth time.

 

“I need to borrow a pair of shoes,”

 

“Shoes? For what?”

 

“Well… Juyeon agreed to give me a job at the store, but I can’t go to my interview with these on,” Eric replied, glancing down at his feet for a moment. 

 

“Oh sweet! Take your pick from my closet man,” Kevin said softly, gasping as he scarcely managed to avoid an incoming Bullet Bill.  Eric went to the closet, opening it and narrowly dodging the mountain of clothes that fell to the floor.

 

“Damn dude, don’t you ever clean your room?” Eric giggled, rummaging through the closet until he found an unopened shoe box.

 

“No time, must save the Mushroom Kingdom,” Kevin mumbled in response.  Eric shook his head, opening the shoe box and smiling at the brand new pair of sneakers inside.

 

“You have a totally new pair of shoes in here dude,”

 

“Oh yeah that’s right! Early Christmas gift… from last year I think,” Kevin chuckled, “Take ‘em if you want,”

 

“You don’t know how much this means to me Kev,” sometimes Eric felt like a burden to his loved ones ; always getting rides from Jacob, extra food and clothes from Kevin and of course being entirely supported by his mom.  It sucked, and he was determined to make a change.

 

“It’s no problem man.  Feel free to hang out here until your interview, my mom will gladly take you,”

 

“I think I have enough to catch the bus…”

 

“Dude the bus is gross, it always smells like pee,” Kevin turned up his nose, “She’ll take you man,”

 

“Fine, fine, if you insist,” Eric said, slipping off his old shoes and putting on the new ones, wincing at their unfamiliar tightness.  He was beyond ready to start making money of his own, and perhaps one day he’d finally have enough to pay his way through film school and get the hell out of Newberry for good.

 

…

 

Eric entered his bedroom with a smile stretched across his face.  Not only had Juyeon hired him on the spot, but he let him work an entire shift with Kevin which was awesome.  It had been a great evening, but he was extremely tired and he really just wanted to sleep.  He quickly changed into his favorite pajamas and headed to bed… but then he heard something strange.  It was a weird gurgling sound that seemed to be coming from the corner of his room. He flipped on the lamp next to his bed and immediately started scanning the room until his eyes settled on his ruined shoes next to his closet… or at least, the spot where they used to be.  Now, there was nothing there but a pulsing blob of black goop that had apparently completely swallowed both shoes.

 

“What… the fuck…” Eric slowly climbed out of bed, walking over to the corner cautiously.  The blob was giving off some serious heat and it looked almost like it had a heartbeat or something, “Oh man, what the hell is that thing?”

 

Against his better judgement, Eric reached out his hand slowly, touching the blob with a single finger and wincing in pain when it burned him.  He jumped back and nearly screamed when the blob started to grow exponentially.  Eric scrambled to his feet and ran into the living room, quickly calling the police.

 

_“911, what’s your emergency?”_

“There’s something dangerous in my room and I need cops, like now! 108 Newberry Commons, apartment 12!” he hung up the phone just as the sound of shattering glass came from his room.  He grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer and slowly crept back into his bedroom, mentally preparing for the worst… but the blob was gone, leaving nothing but a trail of black goop from the corner of his room to the broken window above his bed.

 

“What the hell was that?” Eric mumbled to himself, contemplating what he was going to tell his mother and the police when they arrived.  He had no idea what was going on, but it was clear that this whole situation had just become a lot more complicated…


	4. The Boy in the Glass Tube

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin and Jacob confront their feelings for each other, while something out of this world happens in a secret underground lab just outside of town

December 11th, 1993                               

 

“Okay dude, you’re gonna have to run that by me one more time,” Kevin said, leaning across the lunch table so he could hear Eric more clearly.  He was quite literally on the edge of his seat; even Jacob couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

 

“I’m telling you guys, it was this weird black goo that swallowed my shoes and then it came to life and broke through my window!” Eric repeated himself in a whisper-shout.

 

“I’m not necessarily saying that you’re lying, but it’s really hard to believe,” Jacob replied, “It sounds like the Venom symbiote from a Spider-Man comic or something,”

 

“Wait, didn’t you say that symbiote black suit thing was actually an evil alien?” Kevin wondered aloud, starting to piece things together in his mind.  Something crashed down from space that night, and now there was some kind of living goop that ate Eric’s shoes? It couldn’t be a coincidence could it?

 

“Well… yeah it is,” Jacob spoke slowly, as if he was coming to the same realization as Kevin, “Oh shit, you might have a point,”

 

“Listen Jacob, I know I said I’d drop this, and I really tried to, but this is huge! If some kind of alien creature really did come to Earth that night, we could all be in trouble if we don’t get information on it,” Kevin insisted.

 

“No Kevin,” Jacob shook his head, looking down at his plate of fries without actually eating any of them, “We still should leave this to the government.  They’re trained for this kind of thing and they have the equipment to deal with it,”

 

“There’s more,” Eric interjected, fishing a crumpled newspaper clipping out of his pocket, “According to this, a bunch of people were murdered in the millhouse the other night,”

 

“I saw that on the news,” Kevin said pensively, “It was brutal.  Do you think it could’ve had something to do with the alien goop?”

 

“I don’t know, I think it might be possible,” Eric admitted, “Stuff like that didn’t really happen in Newberry before the meteorite crash,”

 

“If it is connected in some way, that’s an even bigger reason why we shouldn’t get involved,” Jacob said, resolute.  Kevin sighed; deep down he knew that Jacob was right.  Getting wrapped up in all of this could be extremely dangerous, and he didn’t want to get his friends hurt.

 

“I think Jacob might be right,” Kevin acquiesced, “Let’s just let the government guys handle this,”

 

“Thanks Kev,” Jacob said with a sweet smile.  He placed his hand on Kevin’s hand under the table and squeezed it lightly, making the other boy blush.  Kevin had been thinking about the kiss he and Jacob shared a few days earlier, and he wasn’t sure what he should be feeling.  He liked Jacob, he had for quite some time.  But even though they had both come out to each other, he wasn’t sure he was ready to come out to the entire world by entering into a gay relationship, especially with someone whose father was so adamantly against it.

 

“Are you feeling okay Kevin?” Eric wondered, raising a curious eyebrow, “You’re like, tomato red right now,”

 

“I’m just uh, feeling a little hot that’s all.  Hey Jacob, you mind coming with me to the nurse’s office?” Kevin said, clearly hinting that he and Jacob needed to talk.

 

“Oh, uh sure, no problem,” Jacob got up from the table, “I’ll see you later on today Eric,”

 

Eric nodded, taking Jacob’s fries and dumping them onto his own lunch tray as the other two boys left the cafeteria.  Once they were alone in the hallway, Kevin turned to Jacob.

 

“There’s something I think I need to tell you man,” Kevin started, but Jacob cut him off by placing a hand on his shoulder.

 

“I know what you’re thinking Kev,” Jacob said with a sigh, “It’s about the kiss.  It was nice, I really liked it… but we obviously can’t start dating,”

 

“Yeah… but it’s not because I don’t want to! I mean, I like you,” Kevin sheepishly admitted.

 

“You do? Like, you _really_ like me?”

 

“Well… yeah.  I wouldn’t have kissed you if I didn’t.  Honestly it’s all I’ve been thinking about for the past couple of days.  I’d totally forgotten about the crash site until Eric started talking about the goop,”

 

“Was the kiss that good?” Jacob said with a slight giggle.

 

“Yeah, it really was… I wish I could do it again honestly,”

 

“Well technically there’s nothing stopping you,” Jacob bit his lower lip ever so casually.  Kevin couldn’t handle that; he threw caution to the wind and pulled Jacob in by his shirt collar, smashing their lips together in a heated kiss.  Jacob’s eyes fluttered closed as he relaxed against the lockers behind him, letting Kevin take the lead.  They were running a huge risk of being caught, but neither of them could bring themselves to care.  It seemed like the moment lasted forever, and Kevin didn’t ever want it to end, but he had to breathe at some point.

 

“Fuck… why did I do that?” he rubbed his forehead in frustration, “This was supposed to be me letting you down easy,”

 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Jacob shook his head, “I shouldn’t have tempted you like that it’s just… our first kiss has been on my mind too.  I didn’t want it to be our last,”

 

“Listen Baecob,” Kevin began, making Jacob giggle at the sound of his childhood nickname, “Obviously we really like each other, and you’d make one hell of a boyfriend, but I’m just not sure I’m ready to take that step yet.  Especially with the way your dad reacted,”

 

“Honestly, I’m not ready just yet myself,” Jacob said softly, “I just want to be free to be myself, but I’m not in a position where that’s possible right now,”

 

“So we’re in agreement that we just can’t be a couple right now?”

 

“Yeah, I think we are,”

 

“Okay.  This won’t make things awkward between us, will it?”

 

“Not at all,” Jacob said with another beautiful smile, “Hey, since you lied and said you weren’t feeling well, do you maybe wanna take the rest of the day off?”

 

“Are you serious? This coming from Jacob Bae: model student?”

 

“I’m serious! I’ve been really stressed out lately, and it’s been a long time since the two of us just hung out at the arcade.  I heard they just got Mortal Kombat 2 in last week,”

 

“Oh man I’ve been dying to play that! Hell yeah dude let’s go!” Kevin excitedly said, rushing off down the hallway.  Jacob couldn’t help but smile widely; it felt just like old times.

 

…

 

The underground research lab that had been set up for the Newberry Investigation was massive.  Sangyeon had been in quite a few labs like this on security detail, but this one was way over the top.  There were at least seventeen different research areas, each studying some different facet of the object from the crater… but that wasn’t the thing that fascinated him the most.

 

In the center of one of the research areas was a massive glass tube, full of a bluish-green liquid.  Inside of the tube was a young man; he looked to be around 18 or 19 years old.  He was just floating there; seemingly lifeless.  The only thing that indicated that he was even breathing was the tube strapped to his face and the machine next to the tube monitoring his vitals. 

 

There was a full military security team assigned to this one room; Sangyeon might not have known who or what the boy was exactly, but it was clear that he was extremely important.

 

“That kid is freaking me out,” Hyunjae’s sudden comment shook Sangyeon from his thoughts, “Do you think they kidnapped him or something?”

 

“How am I supposed to know? They didn’t give me any more info than they gave you.  We’re just supposed to stand guard, that’s all,”

 

“Yeah I know but it just feels so strange.  Like he’s just this constant presence that we’re all aware of, yet we’re not meant to acknowledge him or ask questions.  He doesn’t even have a name, they just call him ‘Subject 01’.  Don’t you think that’s a bit impersonal?”

 

“Dude, shut up,”

 

“I’m just saying! He’s a human being… I mean, he looks like one anyway.  He deserves a name.  He almost looks Korean, maybe we should give him a Korean name like Minhwan or Jaejoong or… oh, I know! What about Haknyeon? That sounds like a good name,”

 

“Why are you worried about giving him a name? It’s not like we’re taking him home or something,” Sangyeon rolled his eyes.

 

“You’re such a buzzkill,” Hyunjae huffed, “I’m sure you’re killing Haknyeon’s mood and he’s in a glass tube,”

 

Before Sangyeon could reply, the beeping of the vital monitor increased in frequency; it seemed that the boy’s heart rate was speeding up.

 

“Oh shit, something’s wrong,” Sangyeon said, rushing over to the monitor, “His heart rate is way faster than normal.  Notify Branch Chief Bae immediately!”

 

A few of the other soldiers left the area, leaving Hyunjae and Sangyeon alone with the boy in the tube.

 

“Sangyeon look! His eyes!” Hyunjae pointed at the tube where the boy’s eyes were opened for the first time since they’d arrived.  He looked shocked and scared, but he seemed confused more than anything.  He violently ripped the tube off his face and slammed his fists against the glass, instantly causing it to crack.  Sangyeon and Hyunjae moved out of the way as the glass shattered, flooding the floor with the liquid inside and causing the boy to fall to the ground.  Not missing a second, Sangyeon instantly aimed his rifle.

 

“Don’t move!”

 

“What the hell Sangyeon you can’t shoot him, he’s just a kid!” Hyunjae shouted, stepping in front of the boy, “You saw how scared he is, you’re just gonna make it worse!”

 

Sangyeon took a deep breath and lowered his gun.  He walked over to the boy and kneeled down in front of him.

 

“I’m sorry for scaring you, can you understand me?”

 

The boy nodded slowly.

 

“I’m not going to hurt you.  Do you have a name?”

 

The boy shook his head.

 

“Well you do now! Your name is Haknyeon,” Hyunjae said with a bright smile.

 

“Hak…nyeon,” the boy mumbled.

 

“Do you remember how you got here?” Sangyeon asked.

 

“Sky,” Haknyeon mumbled once more. 

 

“You… came from the sky?”

 

Haknyeon nodded.

 

“Oh man, do you think he’s an alien?” Hyunjae whispered.  Sangyeon didn’t have a chance to answer that question before Branch Chief Bae entered the room, an entire security team surrounding him.

 

“Step away from the subject!” Branch Chief Bae demanded, “We need to get him back into stasis immediately!”

 

That statement seemed to make Haknyeon angry.  He stood up and moved faster than Sangyeon’s eyes could follow, slamming into the Branch Chief and sending him flying into the nearest wall and knocking him out cold.  The security team opened fire on Haknyeon, rattling his skin with bullets… but each one fell to the ground fruitlessly as Haknyeon stood tall.

 

“Holy shit, he’s bulletproof,” Hyunjae gasped.  With extreme speed, Haknyeon knocked the security team around like a bunch of useless ragdolls, leaving only himself, Sangyeon and Hyunjae standing.

 

“I have no idea what’s going on here, but it is way the hell above our pay grade,” Sangyeon said, his eyes wide in disbelief.

 

“We’ve gotta get him out of here Sangyeon,” Hyunjae said, “I can’t explain why, but I feel like we need to help him,”

 

“Are you kidding me? You realize that would make us traitors to the US government right? Are you really willing to take that chance?”

 

“I’d rather do that than piss him off,” Hyunjae shrugged, “Look, you can do what you want, but I’m getting Haknyeon to safety,”

 

Sangyeon watched for a long moment as Hyunjae started to lead Haknyeon out of the research area.  Just as they were about to disappear around the corner, Sangyeon called out.

 

“Hyunjae, wait! I’m coming with you.  I’ve never been able to let you do stupid shit on your own,” Sangyeon said, running to catch up.

 

“And that’s what makes you the best big brother on the planet.  Now let’s go!”

 

With that, the three of them escaped the Underground Lab.  They had no idea what they were doing or where they were going, but it was a decision they couldn’t go back on now… hopefully it was the right one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this update took so long everyone. This has been a hectic year for me and it's been hard to find inspiration sometimes. Thank you to everyone who held out hope that I would continue the story, and I'll try my best to make sure there isn't another huge gap like this again


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